1
as in wicked
tending to or exhibiting reckless playfulness
the children had been so mischievous that we had to pay the babysitter extra and then clean up the mess
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in naughty
engaging in or marked by childish misbehavior
punished for their mischievous tricks on the neighbors
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in dangerous
causing or capable of causing harm
mischievous gossip that ruined a good teacher's reputation
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of mischievous
Kids can come in costume and enjoy trick or treating and interactive Halloween stations, from meeting the friendly witch in Candyland and uncovering wild experiments in the Mad Scientist’s Lab, to encountering a beloved princess and mischievous villain in their enchanted garden.
—
Ut Community Press, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Oct. 2025
Orsoni has salt-and-pepper hair and an exaggerated, slightly mischievous energy.
—Aislyn Greene, AFAR Media, 15 Oct. 2025
The trailer hints at a lavish production, with Sharpe playing a mischievous Mozart, bounding through a stately home and jumping to reach a chandelier.
—Jake Kanter, Deadline, 14 Oct. 2025
Not the beautiful, shadowy doom that Montgomery Clift brought to the screen, for instance, or the troubled, mischievous sharpness that Jeffrey Wright and Regina Hall lend to their work, but something as warming as sunshine and just as seductive.
—Hilton Als, New Yorker, 13 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mischievous
Ut Community Press, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Oct. 2025
Orsoni has salt-and-pepper hair and an exaggerated, slightly mischievous energy.
—Aislyn Greene, AFAR Media, 15 Oct. 2025
The trailer hints at a lavish production, with Sharpe playing a mischievous Mozart, bounding through a stately home and jumping to reach a chandelier.
—Jake Kanter, Deadline, 14 Oct. 2025
Not the beautiful, shadowy doom that Montgomery Clift brought to the screen, for instance, or the troubled, mischievous sharpness that Jeffrey Wright and Regina Hall lend to their work, but something as warming as sunshine and just as seductive.
—Hilton Als, New Yorker, 13 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mischievous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mischievous
Adjective
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The Wicker Man boasts a conclusion that is one of the most haunting and disturbing climaxes to a horror film in any era, but the inclusion of Lee as the wicked Lord Summerisle is a casting coup.—
Steven Thrash,
Entertainment Weekly,
19 Oct. 2025
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Misiorowski had made Edman look foolish in their first matchup, getting the infielder to swing through a wicked curveball.—
Fabian Ardaya,
New York Times,
17 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Carpenter’s suggestive travel neck pillow is the hook here — as a reminder, these ShopTV sketches are all about the naughty sight gags and double entendres.—
Andy Hoglund,
Entertainment Weekly,
19 Oct. 2025
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In a viral Reddit post, a naughty cat dipped his paws in pasta sauce turning his fur orange—now the stains won’t go away.—
Maria Azzurra Volpe,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Praneeth Kumar Usiripalli is charged with one count of assault with a dangerous weapon with intent to do bodily harm while traveling on an aircraft, according to a news release from the US Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts.—
Cindy Von Quednow,
CNN Money,
28 Oct. 2025
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This connection would become increasingly important over the twentieth century, as the rapid development of technological infrastructure created ever-expanding and increasingly dangerous sensitivities to geomagnetic storms.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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This casual long-sleeve sweater dress features a playful V-neck and cute, subtle slits on the sides of the bottom hem.—
Caroline Hughes,
Travel + Leisure,
30 Oct. 2025
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The October show, held at The Highline Hotel Ballroom, was a playful, artisanal and on-trend display of the work Pietrafesa has been creating into her ready-to-wear brand since its launch in 2014.—
Emily Mercer,
Footwear News,
29 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Democrats are favored to win both gubernatorial races this year, so a GOP upset in either state would be a bad sign for the party currently locked out of power in Washington.—
Zac Anderson,
USA Today,
2 Nov. 2025
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Nick Saban certainly made more good decisions than bad ones during his run to seven national championships as a college football coach.—
Chantz Martin,
FOXNews.com,
2 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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The Quince style is dyed without harmful chemicals, giving the pants a one-of-a-kind look.—
Destinee Scott,
Travel + Leisure,
30 Oct. 2025
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To Trump, of course, gutting the Civil Rights Act is likely to be a point of pride, enabling the government to focus on more urgent matters, such as protecting white students from the purportedly harmful effects of diversity-equity-and-inclusion programs.—
Eyal Press,
New Yorker,
29 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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And the first person viewers saw on-screen this week was Patterson’s fellow newcomer Jeremy Culhane—a fresh face to those who have never encountered social-media clips of his impish appearances on the niche comedy streamer Dropout.—
Erik Adams,
The Atlantic,
5 Oct. 2025
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The impish Reeves brings puppy-dog codependence to the scruffy Estragon, who leans on Vladimir as his body and memory fail him.—
Patrick Ryan,
USA Today,
29 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Working within restricted space, Lanthimos felt the need to go big with the filmmaking, both with supervising sound editor/re-recording mixer Johnnie Burn’s sound design and composer Jerskin Fendrix’s music, which is by far the biggest score in the score-adverse director’s career.—
Chris O'Falt,
IndieWire,
31 Oct. 2025
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Such issues include severe weather impacts, adverse road conditions and trash buildups that pose a threat to human and/or wildlife health.—
Michael Salerno,
AZCentral.com,
30 Oct. 2025
Video
'Mispronunciations' That May Be Fine
'Mischievous,' 'nuclear,' and other words to pronounce with caution.
Cite this Entry
“Mischievous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mischievous. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
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